It is well known that in sugar factories the separation of sugar crystals and molasses from the socalled "High Grade Massecuites" obtained from the operation of vacuum pans is generally achieved in centrifugals having perforated baskets rotating at speeds of up to 1500 revolutions per minute. The use of these centrifugals has several disadvantages.
Centrifugals are usually driven by relatively powerful motors which consume a considerable amount of energy and, being generally operated in a discontinuous manner, the amperage fluctuations caused by the frequent starting and stopping of these powerful motors have a disturbing effect on the electrical systems of the factories.
The discontinuous nature of the operation of centrifugals generates an inherent loss of production capacity and necessitates complicated and expensive control systems when they are meant to be operated in an automatic fashion and absorbs a large amount of labor when they are operated manually.
The high rotational speed of centrifugals requires sophisticated components and frequent checks of the dynamic balance of the rotating components. Further more, the high centrifugal force applied to the sugar crystals tightly packs the crystals against the inner surface of the perforated basket and the scraping process necessary to dislodge the sugar crystals from the walls of the basket crushes some of the sugar crystals and the crushed crystals have a tendency to slip through the perforations of the basket together with the molasses thus defeating to some extent the separating function of the machine.
The high centrifugal force exerted on the sugar crystals tend to force the crystals into the perforations of the basket and it is necessary to dissolve these crystals at the start of each cycle of operation. The dissolved crystals appear as molasses rich in sugar content thus defeating to some extent the separating function of the machine.
As can be gathered from the preceding comments the reliance upon centrifugal force to acheive the separation of sugar crystals from molasses creates several problems and this invention is directed to the remedying of these disadvantages by the avoidance of the centrifugal principle in the separation of sugar crystals from molasses.